The Balloon game

A fourth grade class in which the teacher introduced a game called "balloon stomp." A balloon was tied to every child's leg, and the object of the game was to pop everyone else's balloon while protecting one's own. The last person with an intact balloon would win.

The fourth graders entered into the spirit of the game with vigor. Balloons were relentlessly targeted and destroyed.

The entire battle was over in a matter of seconds, leaving only one balloon inflated. Its owner was, of course, the most disliked kid in the class. 

It's hard to really win at a game like balloon stomp. In order to complete your mission, you have to be pushy, rude and offensive.

The same game was introduced to a class of mentally challenged children. 

They were given the same explanation as the first class, and the signal to begin was given. 

But the game proceeded very differently. Perhaps the instructions were given too quickly for children with learning disabilities to grasp them.

The one idea that got through was that the balloons were supposed to be popped. So it was the balloons, not the other players, that were viewed as enemies.

Instead of fighting each other, they began helping each other pop balloons. One little girl knelt down and held her balloon carefully in place, like a holder for a field goal kicker. A little boy stomped it flat. Then he knelt down and held his balloon for her. It went on like this for several minutes until all the balloons were vanquished, and everybody cheered. Everybody won.

Who got the game right, and who got the game wrong?

In our world, we tend to think of another person's success as one less opportunity for us to succeed. If we ever find ourselves in that enviable position, we will fight like mad to maintain our hold on it.

In life, the rules change. The Almighty gets top billing. We're just here to serve His purposes, and we do that most effectively by elevating others and humbling ourselves.